Tens of thousands of people took to the streets again Thursday for the 12th consecutive day of protests in a movement initially sparked by a controversial luxury resort project linked to Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. The protests have since evolved into a broader public outcry against corruption and the government of Prime Minister Edi Rama.
“I really think we need a big change right now because our country doesn’t feel like it’s protecting us or serving its own people,” protester Estela Ujka told MS NOW.
The demonstrations began over plans to develop on Albania’s protected Vjosa-Narta lagoon and the nearby island of Sazan, a pristine former military base off the country’s southern coast. Environmental activists say the projects threaten sensitive ecosystems, including one of the Mediterranean’s largest flamingo habitats. As a result, the protests have been dubbed the “Flamingo Revolution.”
“The problem is that these kinds of projects are somehow welcomed by our government, which is basically paid by us to protect these areas,” environmental activist Melitjan Nezaj said. “These are protected natural areas, and they should remain that way.”
But demonstrators told MS NOW that the protest movement has broadened to include wider environmental concerns; they view the Kushner-linked development as another example of corruption in a country long plagued by graft allegations. Some Albanians accuse Rama of attempting to strengthen ties with the Trump administration through the high-profile investment.
“This is an unprecedented event in Albanian history,” said Redi Muçi, a member of parliament from the opposition Movement Together party. “So many young people and members of the middle class have come out to protest — not just because of an environmental catastrophe or because land is being taken away from local communities, but because of corruption.”
